In Sunshine or in Shadow

Yet another disgruntled teenager decided to alter the lives of those around him because he was being teased.

Apparently it also bothered him that he wasn't allowed to be a social outcast at school--you know with cussing and bringing tobacco in.  People called him names and it made his head spin with rage.

He bragged about how his principal wouldn't soon die over homecoming weekend.  Welcome to Education in America.

Let's be clear on this--kids have always been teased at school.  They have been bullied, they have been pushed around.  Of course, as soon as corporal punishment was eliminated, things really changed.  As soon as we became a litigious society, bullying became en vogue again.  Teachers and Parents lost their advantage.  Kids have always been teased at school.  They teased me in Junior High.  We were horrible to this young girl in elementary school...simply horrible.  All of us, and I mean this sincerely, now know what fucking assholes we were.   Kids have always teased.  When my mom went to school they teased.  They teased my Dad for the car he drove and the homemade suit my grandmother made for him to wear to prom.  Teens have always been hormone-filled, sugar buzzed, pimple faced, ego-centric, lack of life experience meanie-heads to others at school.  I was, you were, they are.

We didn't take handguns to school though.  We went home and cried--we tattled on the jerks--we even stood up for ourselves and pushed back.  We didn't though plot the demise of dozens of students, or plan the assassination of our principal.  Who on earth wants to go to jail for the rest of their life at age 15 or worse yet, kill themselves over bullying AFTER they have killed a bunch of others?  (That was the key phrase).  We didn't want to see blood and guts everywhere.  That's not pleasurable, right?

Enter today's student.  Apparently society has become a breeding ground for this unthinkable behavior.  Are kids being left alone too much?  No supervision, no adult interaction?  Forget heroes and role models--these kids have nothing at all in terms of intellectual stimulation.  They have this blog.  They have their IPOD, they have Madden 2007.  They watch television, which is anything from soft porn to a beer-drinking, profanity laced rock concert where people spit, hit, kick and shoot.  And they watch the glorification of each and every mentally disturbed teenager that thinks life is better is he or she just kills.

Our society overall is at a crossroads.  Never before have so many people suffered from such horrible mental distress.  Look around you.  People are dying inside at age 15.  What on earth has happened to us as a society, when we have to consider armed guards and metal detectors at a high school in rural Wisconsin?  Forget foreign policy, forget expensive gas.  Someone better start looking at schools as breeding grounds for something far more disturbing.  I sit here every night and watch these pointless, garbage-filled political commercials.  It's the same crap every year.  No one wants to talk about a real issue like the decline of teenage mental health and the schools they attend.

As for the shooter....some lives apparently don't work.  It's just too bad that they have to take good people out with them before they rot in hell.

Apparently, I am one of the many morons in the US that needs to be reminded that coffee is hot.  For the third consecutive day, while driving to work, I took a sip of coffee and scalded my toungue.  (Is scalded a word?)  I have no taste buds left, which means I could eat a big fat turd right now and it would taste the same as pizza.  How depressing is that?

A big game for the Ohio State Buckeyes this weekend vs Iowa.  I love big college football games. 

The season premier of LOST is this Wednesday. I can't wait!  Other shows we have been watching that we like are:  House, Rescue Me, Grey's Anatomy, 6 Degrees and some crime-lost person show on CBS (which can be any show on CBS)  Two and a Half Men is a great show too.

I watch too much TV and I love it.  I tried reading, but it just didn't give me that extra fresh feeling that TV does.  Plus, you can read about a hot babe, but on TV you can SEE the hot babe. 

Have a great weekend, Y'all. 

If she is smart, like her father, she will root for the team from Cincinnati.

NINA, PINTA and SANTA MARIA MADE IN JAPAN; WORLD STUNNED

Christopher Columbus came to the new world in boats made in Japan according to an entry from Betty Columbus's diary--the one she kept while travelling on the Pinta.  Betty Columbus, the sister of Christopher, wrote in her 1492 voyage log, "I went to fix a loose screw on one of the Pinta's sideboards and found out it was metric.  What a piece of Jap crap!"

The historical establishment is in an uproar over this new revelation.  "I feel like someone walked up to me, shoved a rod up my ass and did a dance while holding onto the rod that had been shoved up my ass.", said Larry, who refused to give us his last name for fear that his family would think he liked shoving things up his ass.

Did Betty Columbus know something we didn't?  The proof might like in the bowels of the NINA, where researchers have discovered another starling revelation--Christopher Columbus played Yahtzee.  "We know he had a Yahtzee game and we know he liked spicy foods.  He also liked to run around the deck of the Santa Maria singing the song "We are Siamese, if you please.  Why should we be shocked that the boats he bought were made in Japan?"

"I don't know if the boats were made in Japan, hell, I have never even heard of Betty Fricken Columbus.  All I know is if Terrell Owens tried to commit suicide, I'm going to crap myself and that won't be pretty", said a distant relative of the Columbus family. 

The world may never know.  What we can say for sure is, Christopher Columbus likely blamed missing America entirely on his boats being from Japan, instead of him having the navigation IQ of a retarded leapfrog. 

I was in high school and the day was cold and rainy.  I was wearing my performance fleece and holding on for dear life to a Jackass named Willie.  I think every Jackass on every farm in every hamlet is named Willie.  Why is that?

Ok, so Willie was tempermental.  I'd like to know how baby Jesus survived his journey through the desert riding a jackass, because, like the Virgin Mary, they don't like to be ridden.  Willie looked back at me and made that jackass-like squeal that almost made me piss myself.  Of course, had I pissed myself I wouldn't have known because as I mentioned above, it was cold and rainy.  Oh, wait...pee is warm....nevermind.

My trip around the fenced in area was a blast.  We went 0.5 mph past the jackass shelter and then sped up to 0.7 mph when we came to what Wille thought was a peppermint.  Actually it was a peppermint with jackass dung all over it.  He ate it.  It was cold and rainy....

The trip around the yard ended with me getting down, looking at Willie and saying "Thank you, Jackass." I wonder if jackasses know they are being called a derogatory term everytime we call them jackass. 

If you watch any news at all, I am sure you saw the clip of Bill Clinton getting in the face of Chris Wallace from FOX News.  I thought Clinton was going to clock him.  Good for you Bill.  It pisses me off that his Presidency is tainted because he is a brilliant politician.  And for all of you moral conservatives (and you know who you are) who point out that he lied, I give you Ronald Reagan (Iran-Contra Affair), where we sold ARMS for hostages and he clearly knew about it, said he didn't and then played the dumb card.  Reagan is considered to be one of the greatest Presidents ever by historians.

All Presidents have skeletons in their closet.  For those that chastize Clinton, I give you LBJ, JFK and Eisenhower--each cheated on his wife.  JFK made smoking a cigar look like a walk in the park.

There are more blogs of substance here now than ever.  More people talking politics, world events and deep personal stuff.  It's really good to see.  New blood, less psychotic crap (perhaps some got drug refills) and a friendly atmosphere. 

I watched the new show HEROES last night.  Did anyone else think the cheerleader was the little girl in The Last Boy Scout?  I haven't looked yet.  Anyway, I haven't decided if I like the show or not.  It's different, which I appreciate!  It's not a law or hospital drama.  Everyone is ga-ga over Grey's Anatomy, and it is an ok show--but it has a VERY small shelf life.  They already have the love triangle established, and have paired everyone up.  Where can you go from there?  3 years max. on GA.

8 more days until the season premier of LOST!!

Dream  

Whisper in the yard and turn the trees all into toys
Lay there on the ground, and turn the dirt into your joy
From what I see and what I know, it's all been boring lately
So I suggest we trade a question mark in for a maybe
Time your riddles right, and make a point that has no sense
Make sure that you're smiling, and the money's been well spent
Innocence and ignorance, it all goes hand in hand
I'm not sure that I'm right, but I hope you'll understand
I hope that you're still searching for the start that has no end
And all the plastic people have now become your friends
Before you start to drift and your soul begins to scream
I just wanted to tell you that you're listening to a dream

Willie Nelson got himself in a bit of trouble this weekend.  Who would have thought he used mind-altering drugs!!  Not me!!  haha...anyway enjoy the article.

If you like baseball, you have to see what happened last night in Los Angeles.  I still can't believe I saw this actually happen.

LOST fans can go here for some pre-season spoilers.  I love this site and find it to be close to, or dead on what will occur.  And yes, it still leaves me in suspense.

Finally....it looks like there is a cool website for people to vote on which of the new TV shows this season will be cancelled.  I have to check this out later today.

Make it a great Monday, y'all.

Fall Saturdays are as good as it gets. Right about now in Ohio the weather is beginning to turn. The sun is lower in the sky, green turns to a yelloish gleam, and the air has a slight nip to it, letting you know fall is about to make it's appearance. This morning I experienced middle America at it's finest--a small rural town's Harevst and Herb Fest. Our country town has a University, a football factory and midwest innocence that you can only read about or see in a scripted movie starring Meg Ryan.

The parade was grand, a few fire trucks, high school bands throwing candy to little kids with eyes so wide you thought they just saw Santa. Funnel cakes, the obligatory BBQ pork sandwiches and booths featuring junk painted with red, white and blue were all around us. It was everything you dream about--far away from terrorism, urban sprawl and traffic jams.

Tennessee lost to Florida, the hated Michigan bitchslapped Notre Dame and Auburn won a tight game against LSU. The number one Ohio State Buckeyes beat up on Cincinnati...life is good. If you love college football, and I do...you can't ask for much more. My wife and I are close to our first anniversary. It has been a wonderful year for us--our daughter absolutely rocks (she sleeps through the night and has since month 2). She is six months old tomorrow and every day with her is an absolute joy. What I ever did to deserve her and my wife is beyond me. We planned a trip to Vermont for our anniversary...more on that in a second. I haven't written about personal things in a long time for many reasons. I learned my lessons well awhile back, and decided to keep it simple and generic.

Tonight, with the help of Jim Beam, I am breaking my silence a bit because today was a revelation. My wife has sacrifced a lot to stay home with Kat. She has two degrees and the sky is the limit with what she can do with them. She stays home because she wants to--because it's good for Kat and it shows. We have such a beautiful and well developed little baby (here come the tears). She smiles and laughs all day long. She is what she is because my wife is great at what she does. I do my part--I work outside of the home and bring in a decent salary in a job I am proud of. I am the youngest director in the state of Ohio in my field and have worked hard to get there. Together we do the very best we can. We are both working with one income. Each of us has a role, a job and both of us work our rear ends off. I spend a few hours alone with Kat and I see how trying it is to be a stay-at-home mom.

 My wife works hard and she does it well. Tonight, just 5 days from our planned vacation, we took a hard look at our finances and realized that going to Vermont was not in the cards. I have been stressing over this for weeks and I came to find out my wife has too. We realized that we could scrape together every available cent and the remaining space on credit and possibly make it, but even then, when we came back there would be nothing left for the remaining week of the month. We could have bitched each other out for unnecessary spending and shed tears in disappointment, but we didn't.

Instead, we made the most mature decision of our marriage--we decided not to go. Vermont will always be there and when we can afford it, we will go. My wife and I (and a few of you who read my blog often), know debt and know it well. She more than I, but we have each had our moments when we went to the change jar to buy gas or a loaf of bread. We had a choice tonight. We could go on a trip we can't afford and pay for it later, or we could do the right thing and buckle down and hard. We chose the right thing.

 So, in a few days our first anniversary will be upon us. Here is my gift. I have the greatest wife in the world and the greatest blessing God could ever bestow upon me--my daughter who is healthy, happy and vibrant. Someday I am going to take them both on the longest and best trip ever. Tonight though, I count my blessings and think about the life we have ahead of us. We have riches we cannot count. If you have made it through all of this blabble, God bless you for it. My wife will undoubtedly read this (I encourage her to read my blog) and I am glad she will. It is the first time I have written a personal message to her since our marriage. Maybe it's because we talk about everything face-to-face, good or bad, that I don't need to blog about personal things. Tonight though, with the help of my friend Jim Beam, I felt compelled to write out what has been going through my mind.

The greatest gift we will receive this year for our first anniversary is the knowledge that in just 365 days we have built a solid foundation of love, caring and mutual respect. That and Kathryn, the little one who sleeps quietly in a crib next to us in our house, that with each passing day becomes a home.

Happy Friday (A special shout out to my Canadian buddies, just because),

 Well, if you like RATS, then you should visit the Back Bay of Boston...check this out

I don't like Rats.  I hate them.  They stink.  They are vile.

Whatever happened to the low-carb craze?  Remember when we added new items to the Atkins Approved list?

Styrofoam, poop, garden tools (not weeding tools), snow cone holders

Ahhhh...those were the days.

I hope you all have a magnificent weekend.  CREEPY HOLLOW PICS ON MONDAY!!!

Nothing.  I am just looking for cheap Google hits to inflate my ego. 

I am still on cloud nine from Saturday when the number one Ohio State Buckeyes crushed the Texas Longhorns 24-7.  Poor Texas.  If we can beat EVIL Michigan, my year is complete.

I am tired of hearing President Bush justify his little Iraq project.  We have lost as many soldiers in Iraq as we did on 9/11.  Thank God we have people who are willing to sacrifice their lives for our country.  I cannot wait for the 2008 election. 

I am almost done with Creepy Hollow, my lighted Halloween Village.  I will be posting pics soon!  It's very very very creepy!!  I love Halloween.  I also love Banana Creme Pie.

Leave me some love y'all.

OHIO STATE 24, TEXAS 7

Ohio State fans rejoice!  The number one team in the land bitchslapped Texas tonight!! 

GO BUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Texas vs. Ohio State game is HUGE!!  It is about to start!!  Texas will probably give us an amazing game...but right now, the Buckeyes are number one in the country and ready to pounce!!

 Please God, let us beat the Longhorns.

That's the prayer I just made up.  Columbus is the capital of college football!!!!

 GO BUCKS!!!

The most beautiful voice in the world sings this wonderful song!

Gravity, Alison Krauss

I left home when I was seventeen
I just grew tired of falling down
And I'm sure I was told
The allure of the road
Would be all I found

And all the answers that I started with
Turned out questions in the end
So years roll on by
And just like the sky
The road never ends

And the people who love me still ask me
When are you coming back to town
And I answer quite frankly
When they stop building roads
And all God needs is gravity to hold me down

And the people who love me still ask me
When are you coming back to town
And I answer quite frankly
When they stop building roads
And all God needs is gravity to hold me down

I remember when I was a kid and my dad cut the grass.  I remember that sweet smell that ensued and going out and playing in the yard.  There was and is nothing like fresh cut grass.  My backyard was the neighborhood baseball field and we played and played so many games there.  It was our field of dreams, or place to shine. 

I remember at the age of ten hitting an improbable home run in my backyard.  Unlike the sculpted stadiums that professionals play in today, my backyard had a tree in the outfield that hung over the entire left field area.  To hit a homerun, you had to negotiate this dangling tree and hope that the baseball Gods would steer your hit ball through countless branches, over an eight-foot tall fence.

I hit the tennis ball as hard as a ten-year old could into the left field area and into the branches.  It was the bottom of the ninth and we were down by two runs.  With runners on second and third, and two outs, we watched my daring shot to left as it hit the first branch, then the second , third and fourth.  We all just stood there as the ball hung on the final limb, looking as if it would be stuck in the tree for a game tying ground rule double.  Fate however had a different idea.

The ball rolled just enough to clear the final twig and land over the fence, giving us the winning run and bragging rights over the street next to us. I was the hero for one day.  I remember picking up after the game and smelling that sweet smell of freshly cut (and newly trampled) grass.  Life was good then--carefree and almost always fun.

The next spring, I got my dad to trim that pesky tree that had prevented so many titanic home runs.  My justification was that I could be the Babe Ruth of the neighborhood if my dad would just go up and trim down this venerable blockade.  He did, and I went on to hit many monster shots. 

I think that was also the first year my father handed over the key to the lawnmower with expectations that I would become the new lawn service.  That is another story all in itself...

How on earth can I compete with this?

Today is move-in day at our campus and it is fun to watch.  I love seeing the excited faces of new students who are just starting out.  It's fun because I remember what it felt like when I was an incoming freshman.  At least for the first day, everyone is on the same playing field with the same grades and the same opportunities....it's always interesting to see who makes it and who doesn't.  For today though, it's fun to be a part of it.  (The parents on the other hand are simply unbearable.)

Do you remember your first weekend of college?  What was it like?

Some Labor Day weekend!!  We have to work the entire time!  Boooooooo!  Lucky for me, I am a Director, so I get to take a comp day later in the month.  And, yes, I will be playing golf :).